This invention generally relates to promoting greater safety in the operation of automotive vehicles, and more particularly to systems for warning drivers and others of both the safe and unsafe movements of other vehicles to avoid dangers to themselves and to others.
There are presently about 220 million automobiles in the United States, almost one vehicle for every man, woman, and child, regardless of age. Many metropolitan areas are congested with excessive auto volume resulting in long delays during travel and often requiring frequent detours away from a desired destination. Even normally careful drivers proceed unsafely at times to shorten travel times, whereas aggressive drivers frequently proceed recklessly in disregard for the safety of themselves and others. Still other drivers are fully or partially impaired as a result of aging, use of alcohol, or for other reason, operating their vehicles with deminished hand-eye coordination constituting a hazard to others.
According to the the present invention there is provided a system for continually monitoring various movements of a vehicle to alert others of such movements that may otherwise be unexpected and unsignaled by the drivers. Such warnings may include reckless driving, overly aggressive driving, erratic driving, unexpected vehicle movements, and others, thereby enabling other drivers to be warned and to avoid such improperly driven vehicles. Certain of the monitored movements may in themselves be unlawful, such as speeding beyond the speed limit, or not stopping at stop unlawful, such as speeding beyond the speed limit, or not stopping at stop signs. Other monitored movements may not be unlawful, in themselves, but collectively demonstrate an unlawful pattern of reckless driving. Further according to the invention, such monitored vehicle movements are communicated to the police, with a record being made for later prosecution of unlawful conduct in the operation of the vehicle.